Our 2019 Guatemala Service Trip Team

Meet our team members and learn what they are most excited about for this year’s service trip!

Amélie Gariépy

Chief Librarian, Chelsea Library, Canada

I am most excited about this project for its combination of things that I love: libraries, traveling and discovering other cultures. Based on my volunteer and traveling experience, I know that we will gain as much as the students will do in the project.

Cate Carlyle

Trip Lead 2019, Curriculum Resource Centre Coordinator, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Canada

I am looking forward to returning to Xela and presenting library and literacy programs to the wonderful Asturias students. I am also excited to get to know the rest of the LWB team, learning and spending time with them.

Dee Winn

Trip Lead 2019, Reference & Subject Librarian, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada

LWB has maintained a partnership with Asturias Academy for ten years. I am looking forward to continuing this relationship by working with enthusiastic volunteers to provide outstanding programming and collection management to the amazing students and staff at Asturias.

Elisa Cruz

MLS Student and Circulation manager, Keene Memorial Library, Fremont, Nebraska

I am in my last semester at San Jose State. I plan to graduate in December 2019. I am also a 2018-19 Spectrum Scholar through ALA, which has been very exciting and educational for me. I can’t wait for the trip and to meet everyone!

Cara Evanson

Research Librarian for Teaching & Learning Initiatives, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina

I’m passionate about access to information, and am excited to be part of this initiative to address information resource inequity. I look forward to learning more about how the library plays a role in the lives and learning of the staff and students at Asturias Academy.

Julie Hatcher

Library Media Specialist, Sawtooth Middle School, Meridian, Idaho

I am super excited to get the chance to travel to another country and learn about their culture and to see the beautiful countryside. I can’t wait to meet the students and to bring them new books and share some fun library activities.

Kathy Plath

Retired School Librarian, Pueblo, Colorado

This trip to Guatemala combines so many of my interests. I love to learn about new cultures, library work, and working with children. I am most excited about working with a team of professionals to help a school library in Guatemala.

Monica Sanchez

MLIS Student and School Librarian at Crittenden Middle School, Mountain View, California

I am excited to practice and improve my Spanish and explore a Latin culture other than my own. I’ve only ever worked in secondary schools, so I’m also really looking forward to learning more about children’s programming.

Sarah Cruz

Cataloging Librarian at Savannah College of Art & Design, Atlanta, Georgia

In addition to working with the LWB team and staff of the Academy, I am really excited to meet the students! I look forward to learning more about their studies, interests, and the community to help continue to build their growing library. Plus, I can’t wait to try all the fruit!

Sue Keefer

Retired academic library director, Las Animas, Colorado

I’m thrilled to be going on this trip to Guatemala! I can’t wait to experience the culture, and am truly looking forward to working with children in the school library. I’m also anxious to meet my fellow librarian travelers!

Magali Sánchez

MLIS at the University of Arizona, iSpace Graduate Assistant

I’m most excited to work and talk with the kids, and learn what they’re interested in. Also, to eat some amazing Guatemalan food!

Call for Volunteers: Guatemala 2019 Service Trip + Application

This is the tenth consecutive spring that LWB is traveling to the Miguel Angel Asturias Academy in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Since 2010 over 150 librarians and library science students have spent more than 60 working days onsite to help our partner realize and grow their dream of an open stacks, circulating school library. What started as cinder blocks in 2010 is now the vibrant center of the school.

LWB uses this annual service trip to execute our remote work on the ground, to discuss emerging needs with our partner, and to reconnect with students and school staff. We invite you to work alongside us this year from April 26 to May 5, 2019.

This year’s work at the Academy will include collection management activities (purchasing, cataloguing, processing, and adding new items) and library programming for students. LWB works with Asturias to also provide edutourism activities for trip participants that will help nurture a comprehensive understanding of libraries, education, and culture in Guatemala.

Primary Projects

• Cataloging, processing, and adding new items to the library’s collection
• Library programming targeting K-12 students through multi-day library events

Housing and Food

While in Quetzaltenango (Xela), participants will stay and eat most of their meals at the COFA Catholic Retreat Centre. Dinners plus all meals on the last weekend will be eaten at local restaurants and will be the responsibility of volunteers. Vegetarian options will be available but are limited.

Expectations

All trip volunteers are expected to:

• Attend online meetings (3-4) to discuss projects and receive training on the Asturias Library and local culture. These meetings are mandatory for all volunteers.
• Join and contribute to a working team before the trip.
• Plan activities and prepare materials before the trip.
• Participate in post-trip assessments (e.g. evaluation surveys).

Program Fees

The program fee will be approximately $1300 CAD* (= ~$1000 USD) for 10 days and is subject to change. This total covers lodging (except for one night), all breakfasts and lunches in Xela, transportation (except shuttle to the airport on the last day), and entrance to all activities within Guatemala, as well as a fundraising fee to support LWB’s Guatemalan programs. Trip participants are responsible for paying their own airfare to and from Guatemala, for lodging fees while in Panajachel, shuttle trip to the airport on the last day, and for most dinners (6 days).

There is a $500 CAD non-refundable deposit due by all accepted applicants by February 22. The remainder of the fees ($800 CAD) can be paid at the same time or by March 8*.

In addition, all trip participants are expected to bring extra spending money for additional purchases such as souvenirs and snacks, dinners, and lodging in Panajachel ($250-$300 CAD is adequate).

Note, in previous years some participants have created crowdfunding campaigns to wholly or partially offset the costs of the trip. LWB uses its social media channels to assist in promoting those campaigns for participants.

Important Dates

• Guatemala Information Meeting (online) – January 20 (meeting recording)
• Application Deadline - February 11 (extended)
• Successful applicants selected and notified – February 15
• $500 CAD* non-refundable deposit due – February 22
• $800 CAD* remainder of program fees – March 8

*Note: The $1300 CAD may be revised to a new final figure if a significant change in exchange rate occurs. Should this happen, the information would be published by February 22.

How to apply: Submit a completed volunteer application by February 11, 2019. A pdf version of the application is available for you to review before you submit the online form. Questions? Email [email protected]

Stay tuned - Guatemala trip April 26-May 5

Buying Books Locally at Piedra Santa

Our 2018 Guatemala Service Trip Team

Meet our team members and learn what they are most excited about for this year’s service trip!

Collection Development:
Our collection development team will be taking an inventory of the collection and cataloguing, processing, and adding new items to the library at Asturias.

Kiri Wagstaff
Research scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California
I am thrilled to get the chance to learn about libraries in another country and also to practice (and improve) my Spanish skills. This is an exceptional opportunity to learn a lot and also make a real impact!

Carol Hull
Inclusive Services Consultant, South Carolina State Library
I have never traveled outside the U.S. before, so I am very excited to experience another culture and be immersed in the Spanish language. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the libraries in Guatemala.

Judy Senecal
Librarian, Carleton University Library, Canada
I am most excited about meeting the students at the school in Xela and seeing their reaction to all the new books we’re bringing! I’m also looking forward to discovering a new country and meeting and working with the other volunteers.

Allinston Saulsberry
MLIS Student, Archives Intern at Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona
I am most excited about the mission of the Guatemala service trip. When asked, I’ve stated that being a “traveling librarian” would be my dream career. This trip will allow me to use the skills that I have acquired to service a library in another country. It doesn’t get more exciting than that.

Suzanne Fernando
Branch Head, Toronto Public Library, Canada
I went on the service trip in 2013 and it was an eye-opening experience. I’m really looking forward to getting to go again. I’m excited to see what’s changed in the last five years; to see the kids; to be immersed in the welcoming culture of the Guatemalan people. I’m also excited to visit the new site on Lake Atitlan. It’s neat to get to see a project you were a part of five years ago, again.

Joi Jackson
Librarian at Penn State University
Working with the kids! Also, I am excited to add to their collection. This will also be my first trip to Central America.

Programming Team:
Our programming team will be creating and running multi-day library programs for the students at Asturias.

Anabel Gutierrez
MLIS Student and Library Services Specialist at Cal State Fullerton: Pollak Library
I’m really excited about visiting another country that is part of Latin America. My goal is to eventually visit all Latin-American countries because I have a strong interest in this area of the world due to my undergraduate studies. I am most excited about working firsthand with the school children of Xela and making a positive impact on their lives.

Kate Procyshyn
Librarian, Boston Public Library
I am most excited to meet the other people on the trip, to travel to a foreign country while doing international library work, and to eat Guatemalan food.

Kate McMillen
MLIS student and Library Associate, Cambria Library, California
I am most excited about the service aspect of the trip and learning more about how libraries can support education around the world.

Ashley Spencer
Senior Library Assistant, Toronto Public Library, Canada
I’m excited to meet the children and staff and share some of my knowledge/ideas about programming and in turn learn from them. I’m also excited about learning about the Guatemalan culture, hearing the music and eating the food

Molly Roa
Senior Library Assistant, San Leandro Public Library; MLIS Candidate, SJSU
I’m most excited to learn from other library and education professionals from all across North and Central America.

Karen García (below) will also be part of the programming team.

Professional Development Team:
Our professional development team will be developing and running workshops for teachers supporting library integration into the school curriculum.

Debbie Chavez
Guatemala Program Lead
I’m excited to see the staff and children at the school again. They’re beautiful people and I love the warm welcome we always receive. I’m also excited to see the village where Don Jorge’s new school is located. I’m looking forward to visiting the community library in that village. I’ve read a lot about Riecken Community Libraries and corresponded with the director of those libraries in Guatemala, so I’m looking forward to seeing the library in action.

Karen García
MLIS Student and Technical Assistant at Palm Springs Public Library, Florida
I got excited to know that people care about my country and are willing to help create a better environment for Guatemalan children. I was thrilled to know that I could help too!

El partido de fútbol

by Sarivette Ortiz

El partido de fútbol con los estudiantes de la escuela Miguel Ángel Asturias y LWB es en evento que todos esperan: los alumnos con mucha ilusión y LWB con miedo. Antes del gran día hubo oportunidad de practicar un poco en el patio del colegio, los estudiantes ya observaban a quien querían en sus equipos. Llegó el tan esperado-temido día. Estudiantes, profesores y bibliotecarios estaban listos para dar la batalla. A diferencia de otras batallas pronto encontramos que no había un equipo rival, no había un equipo a quien vencer, eran dos equipos dispuestos a darlo todo por compartir y pasar 45 minutos de un partido donde reinaron las risas y los aplausos solo por intentarlo.

Los mismos estudiantes seleccionaban sus compañeros de equipo, incluidos bibliotecarios con poca o ninguna habilidad. A pocos minutos de comenzar el partido un estudiante estrelló todo su talento con el balón en la cara de un bibliotecario: un minuto de silencio seguido por risas y abrazos. Los estudiantes mostraban todo su talento, los bibliotecarios mostraban toda la buena intención de aprender sobre el juego. Los jugadores en defensa se confundían con los delanteros e incluso con los porteros. Pronto te das cuenta que al jugar con el equipo de Miguel Ángel Asturias no hay un equipo rival, todo lo contrario, eran 22 personas en la cancha buscando marcar un gol con un grupo de amigos. Cada portero era un amigo lo que hacía difícil saber dónde realmente debías empujar el balón para marcar.

Los profesores encargados se aseguraban que todos los interesados pudieran jugar. Niños, niñas y bibliotecarios, todos tenían la misma oportunidad de minutos en la cancha porque en este partido de fútbol no se mira la diferencia de edad o de sexo, solo importa compartir.

Luego un estudiante pateó su talento con el balón hasta el hombro de otro bibliotecario: más risas y abrazos. Concluimos que el fútbol es como la vida, un golpe de balón puede detenerte momentáneamente pero no puede quitarte el deseo de seguir jugando. Así regresamos a casa, todos cansados pero con la satisfacción de haber hecho un gran partido, donde no marcamos goles pero si ganamos un grupo de nuevos amigos.

Library Day: Magical Realism with Grade 7-8

By Lisa Elchuk and Anne Rojas

We created a magical realism genre-based program with a social/emotional literacy focus. 

The program was delivered to students in Grades 7-10, over three sessions. The delivery of the programming for the students was first created in English, then translated to Spanish.

We read aloud the first chapter of A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness, together with the students and engaged with them by asking for volunteer readers. The students were hesitant to read at first; students in the older grades ended up being more likely to offer to read with us. As the reading progressed, students grew more confident and we had more reading volunteers.
They were all actively engaged in the story, turning pages synchronously with us. There were gasps from some students, in each of the grades, at the end of the chapter. 

After answering a few social and emotional learning reflective questions, the students and LWB volunteers worked together to untangle a human knot. The idea behind this was to model positive, collaborative relationships between the students and adults.  A few students were embarrassed and hesitant at first but all rose to the occasion; each group ended up very proud of their problem-solving prowess, even though some human knot untangling failed!

The final activity was a prompt for the students to describe a person place or activity where they feel safe and happy.  Answers ranged from playing soccer with friends, being with friends and loved ones or listening to music in their rooms. We asked the students to write their answers on leaves which we then affixed to the paper tree LWB volunteers had used in prior programs for the Asturias students.

We created a booklist for the Asturias Library, with other magical realism titles including A Monster Calls, The Graveyard Book in graphic novel format, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Carry On. We reviewed the Asturias catalog prior to creating the booklist to utilize their offerings and then added additional titles to supplement their collection.
Overall the program was incredibly successful and we feel gave the students a different perspective on traditional library programming.

Library Day 2 - Masks & Mayan Folklore

by Melissa Mejia and Camlin Vinayagamoorthy

Library Day 2 was a great success! We led the program for Grades 4-6 which entailed a dramatized oral storytelling performance based on David Wisniewski’s The Rain Player, a Mayan folktale about the power of unity within a community. The story explores the relationship between humans, nature, and wildlife all depending on one another to end the heavy drought that has threatened their existence. In our adapted version we also added the role of the library in providing the humans access to information on how and where to find the wisdom of the animals in the rainforest. In the library he discovers that he needs the strength of the Jaguar, the silent speed of the Quetzal, and the resourcefulness of the Cenote to defeat the wickedness of the Rain God. It was a silent dramatization with a behind the scenes narrator so that students only experienced the visual performance of the volunteers who were each wearing a unique mask that differentiated their characters to the audience. There were also sound effects and music which the students enjoyed. 

Following the performance students were invited to create their own mask inspired by Mayan folklore, however some decided to personalize their mask in a unique way such as adding pharaoh inspired beards, blushed cheeks, and emoji inspired expressions. If time permitted certain groups were also given the opportunity to participate in a hands on scavenger hunt that would reinforce their knowledge of the library collections.

Our goal with this program was to connect literacy as a vital part of the community through Mayan folklore that depicts a positive relationship between humans, wildlife, and the library. Students learned about the preservation of the Mayan culture through the storytelling performance and the mask workshop while also learning about the preservation of the library materials through a scavenger hunt that teaches them how to properly navigate the library. What we learned throughout the performances was that students were thrilled to see a different form of storytelling unfold right before their eyes.  The efforts from the students in creating their own personalized masks showed us that ultimately they each had their own story, and by creating and wearing that unique mask they gained the confidence in sharing their own story.

Library Day: A Nature-Inspired Book Fiesta!

by Wendy Paulas and Sofi De La Mora

It’s finally here… Library Day! After countless hours of virtual planning, our resident Colorado girls, Wendy and Sofi, led a nature-inspired book fiesta program for the K-3rd grade students at Miguel Angel Asturias.

The program started off with a puppet/live action play adapted from the book, The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. With help from other LWB volunteers, the play conveyed the importance of preserving trees for animals and people. Guatemala is currently facing a severe deforestation crisis. The story was a fun way to engage students in real environmental issues that concern them through the love of reading. It was rewarding to hear kids laugh and observe them struggling to keep themselves seated during the play (they were so engaged that they stood up at times). They giggled when Jorge, the lumberjack, took four swings at the tree without being able to cut it down. They burst into even more laughter, when he gasped for air profusely as he snored his way through scenes. The added sound effects, the artwork construction and the jungle animal masks, gave students a truly immersive storytelling experience.

Following the play, Sofi used the tree artwork to share with the children that reading under trees is one of her favourite things to do. She described that this was a pleasure that she earned. She started small by first reading and caring for books in the library. Then when she was prepared enough, she took them home and read books in clean spaces away from any potential spills or damage. It was soon after that she was able to trust herself in reading her favourite books underneath a tree.

Following the library etiquette piece, Wendy led the students in an interactive song and dance to the popular song, La Iguana y El Peresozo. The students got on their feet, jumped and sang their way through the song. The lyrics to the song were blown up, to encourage students and teachers to read, sing and move to the uppity beat.

The last activity of the program was a literacy cube game. Students were divided into small groups. Each group received eight six-sided cubes containing words from The Great Kapok Tree. The children then used the cubes to create nature-themed sentences inspired from the story. The teachers were so impressed. It was the first time they experienced an activity that was playful and literacy-based at the same time. The best part of it all is that words on the cubes could be erased and rewritten for new book activities. All cubes and markers are staying with the library to encourage book literacy activities. We also created a recommended book list to support future reading.

Volunteers had the best time working with the children, teachers, and Señora Dorita, the school librarian at Miguel Angel Asturias, to instil a love of reading, build literacy skills and develop a respect for nature. It was a rewarding experience for us all.

Collection Team Update: 200 (and counting) books for Asturias

By Lindsay Hall and Dana Young

After a wonderful welcome from the children and staff, the collection team got to work on unpacking the 200 books that the LWB team brought with us in our luggage. We had a chance to poke through the library and get familiar with Asturias Academy’s collection. The library is located on the top floor of the school, giving it a quiet refuge. Visitors take off their shoes to help make sure the carpet stays clean. Even with the limitations of the collection it’s clear that the space is well-maintained and well-loved.

We purchased titles from Piedra Santa Publishing in Guatemala City with donations from Librarians Without Borders, community groups, and individual contributions earlier in the week. Those books would arrive later. In the meantime, we had plenty to do organizing the books that we brought with us. There were books that any school librarian would recognize: Ciudades de Papel (Cities of Paper), Harold y el Lápiz Color Morado (Harold and the Purple Crayon), and El Capitán Calzonzillos (Captain Underpants). Asturias Academy Librarian Señora Dorita reviewed the donations and commented “que lindos todos estos libros, ahora tendré que dormir en la biblioteca para tener tiempo de leerlos todos.” Some of the titles, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid (or Diario de Greg) and The Giving Tree seem to be as popular with young readers here as they are back home.

We spent most of the day working out our process. It took some time to understand the system Sra. Dorita set up for her students. It’s important to make sure that each book is housed in the appropriate section in order to best serve the students and help maintain an organized library. We did some careful organizing and reviewing to make sure we were on the right track. We got a start on the cataloging and processing of the donated titles. It should be a productive week.